#CareerAdvice #Accounting #BusinessMajors
Hey everyone! 👋 So, I’ve been on the fence about pursuing a career in accounting. I’m 24, almost done with my Business Administration degree, and aiming to major in accounting for that sweet stability it promises. But, after exploring the accounting subreddit, I’m having serious doubts. 🤔
Here are my concerns:
– Is accounting really as terrible as some make it out to be?
– Are there better options within the realm of business majors?
– Will accounting truly lift me out of poverty?
From what I’ve gathered, here are some possible solutions:
– Reach out to professionals in the field for firsthand insights.
– Consider job shadowing or internships to get a taste of the day-to-day.
– Research alternative business majors to see if there’s a better fit.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and advice on this matter! Let’s chat and help each other out. 🌟 #CareerChoices #FuturePlans
Anything is better than teaching so you’re already winning there
I can vouch that architecture is the worst degree
Accounting is a good career choice, there’s good money in it if you set yourself up right. That being said, I work in accounting and really hate it lol. I get stressed easily and managing someone else’s finances is anxiety central for me. But it’s really all about preference and what you can handle so definitely don’t let the other people put you off from it if it’s something you genuinely want to do!
Accountant here: public accounting can be really terrible. Industry is another story. I love my career and it can take me anywhere in the world. Stay the course.
As with any other profession…it depends on the company you work for.
Accountants tend to be underpaid (on an hourly equivalent basis) for the educational requirements, it’s harder to become a CPA than a lawyer (and we get less prestige than lawyers for the effort), we’re often overworked, etc.
…but we work at a desk in air conditioning and usually still earn enough to make a comfortable living. In industry, it’s all about the company you work for…there’s grest, there’s crap, and there’s everywhere in between. In public, the hours make it lean more towards the crap side…but most people work in public less than 5 years, and mainly do so because, at least in theory, 1y of experience in public is viewed similarly to 2y of experience anywhere else (and in some cases, hiring managers might outright demand public to consider a candidate…their mistake, but it does happen).
Now, because we tend to be underpaid for the work, that also means better job security. If we hit a recession, first jobs to go are the salespeople and the programmers and the engineers. If a company starts bleeding accountants (outside of public where we are basically the “engineers” of that company)…then that’s probably because the company is in VERY serious trouble.
Accounting is okay man. You can always pivot later on in your career if you want to and there are a variety of roles you could fill as an accountant / areas of focus depending on how you like to work and all organisations need one. Desk work is desk work at the end of the day and finance is a solid career option.
The only question I’d ask is – is it AI-proof? I don’t know the answer.
Jobs that require your physical presence will be more resilient. Plumbing, electrician, doctor, dentist, etc May be worth looking into as well
All most times you rarely go into the field you study for, accounting will give you great fundamentals and usually your degree is just credibility that you can be committed to something and see it through.
Every career is worse. Working conditions and people are the things that are making fields unbearable .
The worst degree is political science
Don’t be discouraged by negativity online. Here’s a reality check:
* **Accounting is stable:** It’s true! There’s always a need for accountants, offering job security.
* **But grass isn’t always greener:** Every job has challenges. Accounting can be demanding during peak seasons, but that’s not always the case.
* **Focus on the good:** You mentioned liking it and a clear career path. Those are positives!
**Explore further:**
* **Talk to accountants:** Get a realistic picture by chatting with professionals.
* **Consider specializations:** Maybe a specific accounting field interests you more (e.g., tax, forensic).
Accounting can be a good choice, but it’s up to you! Don’t let online negativity cloud your judgment.
You could always be an engineer doing shift work on oil rigs, so it could always be worse.
Accountants make a lot of money. However, if you don’t like looking at sheets and numbers all day, you’ll hate it. Not glorious by any means.
Everyone complains about their job …to be fair depending on where you go in to accounting, it has its share of things an average person might not like. If you’re in public accounting, you have busy season where I’ve seen 50-60 hour weeks as the norm. The places I’ve been they’ve catered lunch and dinner, so that’s cool, but the trade off is the big slow down during summer months. There’s a lot you can do with accounting even if you decide not to do the traditional accounting thing. If you like it and are interested, go for it. You know what will lift you out of poverty? The job you’re interested in doing that isn’t crushing your soul and pays a living wage. I’d say accounting checks those boxes.
Otherwise, finance and economics have been really good to me. Allowed me to have a skill set that I could shift industries easily. Fell in to analytics and data science and having the financial experience helps a lot.
In short, don’t sweat it. Go for accounting if you’re interested in it and don’t pay too much attention to shit talkers. Best of luck!
Every business needs an accountant or at least someone who understands accounting. It can be boring if you’re more on the book keeper side or entry level but once you get into the more finance or technical side it becomes a lot more like strategy, it just takes some time to get there. Like many have said most complaints are about public accounting which is where many get their first foot in the door. It’s a great place to start because you see a lot and work with lots of smart people, but the work sucks because the hours suck and it can be pretty political. It’s like a camaraderie builder many people do it, most people hate it and have the same “war stories”, so you’ll always have some things in common with former public accountants.
No. I read on the Economist (I think it was April/May issue) accounting is now back in demand.
Global financial crisis’ are happening every where I am not sure you would want to learn numbers/money management or anything from those peeps.
Accounting is a great choice (Full disclosure – I’m a CPA, so I’m biased). If you want to pivot into other areas of business, that’s a lot easier with an accounting background.
Public accounting is no doubt tough at times, and it’s not for everyone, but you need to make that decision for yourself. I’d recommend getting your CPA (the firm you work for will help pay for it) and getting to manager before you make a decision to leave and go into industry, as they call it.
For me, I spent 10 years in public accounting, left and went to work for a Fortune 500 company for 6 years, then came back to public accounting. It’s where I feel the most fulfilled by my work and get to do things I love, like coach and train others. I’m an auditor, btw. No taxes for me. In audit, I get to problem solve and build relationships with others, which I enjoy.
Feel free to DM me if you’d like to talk further. I’m happy to help.
Fashion designer…. it’s a scam
My friend makes 6 figures is accounting and he also has his masters as well. The whole process is taxing (low paid internships and starting off at the bottom). However he is loving it and constantly receives 2-3 bonuses a year on top of his salary.
My buddy did not do his CPA but is incredibly stable financially. The problem is he has a personality, and accounting departments (from what I understand) do not.
I’d envy and job you could get up, go work, and come home but to each their own.
Bro I completed the same degree as you, also we’re in the same age. I started as accounting clerk doing mostly entry accounting task in Law company. It did pay me well but I’m more comfortable in Business/Sales & Marketing so I transferred. I need to take like 40% pay cut and my job almost stressed me 24/7 there’s no work life balance here. But I enjoyed it so no complaints. I sometimes miss my accounting team and hang out with them once in a while. My friend in that team (who is 27-28) is now on his way of promoting with increasing like 30-40% from his previous.
So the job itself is good and almost no stressed bcs rn in company they mostly used automated software & stuff to help you out. So it quite easy compared to what I heard from my senior in their 30s & 40s who has been working in Accounting like 5-10 yrs but it depends whether you like it or not.
P.S. this is coming from a guy who lived in Poor country
consider the fact that there’s bias every time someone shits on a career. after switching majors to accounting, I can tell you the average person can be prone to remembering and being more affected when hearing mainly bad things about THEIR major. there isn’t a perfect career for the working class where you don’t need to sacrifice to receive other benefits (e.g., sacrificing long hours for a higher pay). realistically, if accounting were the worst career ever i don’t think there would still be that many people working in this field…
Accounting is actually a pretty excellent and versatile education in the business world. Accounting is known as the “language of business” so it’s one of the most secure forms of employment, since every single business has some form of accounting needs. Most of the complaining stems from long hours with no overtime in public accounting, but there are plenty of other jobs that kind of education could get depending on your interests.
You could work in public accounting in a variety of different roles such as tax, auditing, consulting, etc. or specialize in more complex accounting topics like mergers and acquisitions. You could also work in an industry role (a company’s internal accountant) as a general accountant, a data analyst, a member of the FP&A (financial planning and analysis) team, internal auditing, and a variety of other roles. Accountants are also desirable competitors for various finance roles such as capital markets analysts, credit analysts, portfolio managers, private equity, etc.
I recently went back to school for accounting and I’m really happy that I did. I love working with numbers and money, and the variety of jobs available for me to apply to is incredible. If you have any interest in business, finance, data manipulation, etc. I highly recommend it.
It also doesn’t hurt that it’s nearly guaranteed you’ll be making over $100k within 5-10 years if you’re slightly ambitious, with earning potential upwards of $200k-$500k later in your career if you’re very ambitious and intelligent.
Don’t let the internet talk you out of it. Just like any career, it’s often about the company you work for, and the team you are on.
If you truly like it, man, am I jealous. It sure is stable, and it gives you a hard skill and trade no one can ever take from you (except for you if you get into some shady shit lol) You can even freelance if that’s something that interests you. You will always be in demand, so you will have leverage and options.
My mom failed accounting in college, she tells me proudly lol. But, she said in the real world it made total sense to her so she stayed on that path. When my sister and I were young, she was able to easily stand up an accounting business so she could stay home with us, she had a number of really great small business clients (and we got to go with her, her bakery client was my favorite).
When I was in business school someone joked once “life is too short to be an accountant.” I say, life is too short to make work your whole identity so if accounting gives you stability to do your job and go live your life outside of it, it’s a fantastic line of work. If you truly like it in COLLEGE, I think that it’s a good sign it’s a career fit for you. Just be selective with the companies and teams you join. You don’t need to be miserable at a big 5 (well, at least not forever, some people do their time and then go do what they actually want).
My friends an account and loves it. Do it! You can find people on the internet saying any career is bad literally.
It’s a very stable job that will make a good income and give you a good office job where you can probably work remote sometimes, have benefits like insurance and paid time off, and have great job security